The Britton Duke Papersare being scanned and uploaded, making this the first manuscript collection to be added to the archive.

The Papers provide a unique chronicle of an early Germantown family, with family letters and business papers dating back to the 1830s. Most papers belonged to Britton Duke, a prominent citizen and cotton planter, who owned the property adjacent to the Nashoba Plantation (a utopian community founded by Frances Wright). He was also extremely interested in education and served as the long-time school commissioner for the 11th district of Shelby County.